Young artists from Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Peru, Taiwan and Vietnam took part for the very first time, bringing the overall number of participant countries to 46. The 9th edition of the contest has been very special in many ways - for the first time the Grand Prix was awarded to a foreign national, a little boy named Kwok Tsz Long Ethan, aged 5, representing the art school "IM Creative" from the city of Kowloon, Hong Kong.

A very remarkable contribution was also made by the students of I.E.P. Jireh school from Lima, Peru and kids from Taganrog partner cities, including Jining, Lüdenscheid and Khartsyzsk.